The present invention relates generally to cotton harvesters and more specifically to a low profile row unit for a cotton harvester.
Cotton harvesters, particularly cotton strippers of the type shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,714,767, 3,716,976, 3,734,563 and 4,125,988, include row units that define a harvesting compartment. Cotton plants enter a forwardly opening plant passage in the row unit as the harvester moves forwardly through the field, and counter-rotating brush rolls strip the cotton from the plants. Row unit augers move the stripped cotton rearwardly from the harvesting compartment to a cross auger on the harvester. Heretofore, it has been necessary to provide the row units with a relatively high front wall structure such as shown at 31 in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,988. The front wall structure had to be approximately as high as the tallest cotton plants so that the mouth of the plant passage could receive the plants into the harvesting compartment. The front wall structure together with a closed overhead panel structure was part of a structural arch affording stability to the entire row unit and maintaining the desired spacing between the brush rows on either side of the plant passage. The high front and closed panel structure has provided necessary strength to the stripping units and together with the use of chains or vertical rows of brushes to close the mouth of the passage, as described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,988, have provided a harvesting compartment which satisfactorily confines detached and vigorously agitated cotton until it is removed by the row unit augers.
However, several problems exist with the above-described cotton stripper row units. The high arch construction necessary for support and for preventing cotton from being thrown out of the unit significantly reduces visibility and prevents the operator from seeing the portions of the rows of plants directly ahead of the row units. With his vision in front of the row unit impeded, the operator often has difficulty maintaining the plant passage aligned with the row, particularly when there is, in addition, a heavy amount of dust and debris boiling from the row unit as a result of the vigorous action of the stripper rolls. If the row units move slightly off of the rows, the cotton plants will be pulled under the units rather than being stripped thereby, and productivity will be reduced. Often the field will have to be stripped a second time.
A further problem is that the row units which utilize the high arch construction are relatively hevay and are bulky to handle. As the row handling capacity of harvesters increases, the weight of additional row units can adversely shift the center of gravity of the harvester.
Another problem with the above-described structure is that the harvesting compartment is relatively inaccessible, and removing blockages, rocks or debris, or replacing or repairing brush rolls and unit augers is difficult and time consuming. Although top panels can be removed, the height of the unit makes access, particularly to the lower front of the unit, very difficult. In many units, there are structural members directly over the brush rolls and augers that limit access into the lower portion of the harvesting compartment. It is not uncommon for an operator, after removing the panels and clearing out an obstruction, to find that the primary cause of the problem was overlooked because of limited visibility into the unit. Locating and cleaning obstructions or detecting areas in need of repair within the compartment can therefore be very time consuming as well as frustrating for the operator.
Still another problem with previously available row units is that they typically utilize a head sheet at the rear of the unit auger housing which prevents cotton plants from moving rearwardly beyond the end of the brush rolls. The head sheet often traps stalks and debris and is a primary source of blockage in a row unit. The brush rolls tend to wear more quickly in the area of the sheet than elsewhere along their length. In addition, the sheet adds to the weight of the row unit.